Honigman announces inaugural, firm-wide 'Day of Service'

By Stephanie

Detroit Legal News

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Honigman recently announce that it will hold its first annual, firm-wide Day of Service on June 22. As part of this initiative, attorneys and staff in each of the firm’s seven offices will volunteer with an array of charities to engage in service projects in the communities in which they live and work.

“ Honigman’s Annual Day of Service was developed as a way to observe the Martin Luther King Day of Service call to service initiative and as a way for the firm to give back to the communities in which we practice law,” said Gabrielle Sims, partner and Vice Chair of the firm’s Community Relations Program. “ The initiative has been received with incredible enthusiasm across the entire firm, which speaks volumes to the Honigman culture and the importance everyone, starting with leadership, places on contributing to our respective communities.”

Honigman’s Detroit office will be partnering with The Mission Continues and Motor City Grounds Crew to help restore and beautify Fitzpatrick-Warwick Park, located in Detroit’s Cody Rouge neighborhood. The firm will work closely with community leaders from surrounding areas, to install walkways, build a fitness park, create a community garden and build benches.

Fitzpatrick-Warwick Park was chosen in part because it neighbors Cody High School, whose students participated in this year’s Honigman Academy program, an eight-session program which provides local public high school students with an overview of life at a corporate law firm and exposes them to basic legal concepts.

“ Honigman prides itself on having deep roots in Detroit, and we are tremendously proud to continue our collaboration with Cody High School,” said David Foltyn, Chairman and CEO of Honigman. “ Our work at Fitzpatrick-Warwick Park, and with all the chosen charities, allows us to further invest in and engage with our communities in a meaningful way, and to demonstrate our firm’s commitment to leading by example of being good corporate citizens.”

Honigman offices outside of Detroit have also each partnered with local leaders and prominent charities to engage with their communities. The Chicago office, led by partner Amanda Wolfman, will be volunteering with Cradles to Crayons, an organization that provides clothing, toys and other goods to children and youth in Chicago who are either homeless or come from low income families.

At the Grand Rapids office, the initiative is led by partner Meredith Ervine, and Honigman will be participating in “ Food from the Heart,” an event on June 21 where 1,000 volunteers will work together to create 200,000 healthy meal packages to be distributed to various food pantries around the county.

In Kalamazoo, the program is led by partner Bryan Beck, and the firm is partnering with United Way of the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo Region to prepare “ Mama Care Kits,” which contain helpful supplies for new mothers and caretakers, and “ Welcome Home Kits” for families moving into temporary or permanent housing.

The Lansing office project is led by partner Ryan Opel, and it will work with Ele’s Place, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting grieving children and their families. Honigman’s Ann Arbor office initiative is led by partner Sarah Waidelich, and it will volunteer with Food Gatherers, an organization dedicated to alleviating hunger and eliminating its causes in the community. In Bloomfield Hills, the initiative is led by partner Tom Appledorn, and the firm will volunteer with Gleaners distribution centers, to pack food, pick cases for shipments and prepare supplies for food drives.